A frothy, fun musical which doesn't take itself too seriously. Rating
Good
Legally Blonde is a hit musical based on the hit 2001 film of the same name. It tells the story of superficial socialite Elle Woods who is dumped by her boyfriend Warner for not being serious enough. She follows him to Harvard Law School to try to win him back.
The opening is a high energy number from Elle’s Californian girlfriends in a frenzy about her impending engagement. The actors perfectly convey their shallow, over-excited, fashionista characters but the number is so loud it borders on shrill. This is an issue with many of the ensemble numbers and the lyrics are sometimes unclear.
Having said that, there is much to enjoy here. Amber Davies may have come to fame via reality TV, but that doesn’t mean she is untalented. She is a trained musical theatre actor and plays Elle convincingly. Her singing is strong and maintains the American accent throughout. Any ‘Strictly’ viewer will know that she’s a great dancer, but she also has some deft comic touches and develops her character well from airhead to valedictorian.
The contrast between Elle’s pink world and Harvard is achieved by all the students wearing black and a huge wooden Harvard facade is flown in. Innocent Elle is treated unkindly by Warner’s new girlfriend Vivienne, a strong performance from Annabelle Terry who gradually changes her opinion of Elle. Elle is helped by nice guy Emmett, a likeable George Crawford, and eventually wins out. Many of the characters are somewhat two-dimensional and stereotypical but Crawford’s Emmett is far more rounded with a credible back story.
Elle’s Malibu friends appear as a Greek Chorus in her head, which is a clever way of keeping them in the storyline and maintaining the contrast between Elle’s two worlds. Much of the comedy is provided by Elle’s hairdresser friend, Paulette. Karen Mavundukure gives a larger than life performance with powerful vocals that fill the theatre. Her sub plot love story with delivery guy Kyle (Ty-Reece Stewart) is very funny. Similarly, the court room scene debating whether a witness is gay or European is a show highlight with several laugh out loud comedy moments.
Special mention too for Jocasta Almgill as video workout star Brooke Wyndham. She opens the second half with a high octane number that she sings while skipping. The notes never waver, she’s very impressive!
The plot is fun but contrived and stretches credibility throughout. The audience must believe that Elle has deeply hidden depths and can achieve a high enough grade to be accepted at the prestigious Harvard Law School. Then she gets her place with a song and dance routine when she fails to submit a personal essay. Her successes all handily depend on her expertise on hair and beauty, giving her an advantage over the other students.
The answer is, of course, to suspend your disbelief and just enjoy the show for what it is. There is no pretension here to serious theatre and it does exactly what it says on the tin, with plenty of style and joy. There is definitely a place for uplifting shows like this.
Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe & Nell Benjamin
Book by Heather Hach
Directed by Nikolai Foster
Choreographed by Leah Hill
Musical Supervision & Additional Arrangements by Matt Spencer-Smith
Set Designed by Colin Richmond
Lighting Designed by Ben Cracknell
Sound Designed by Adam Fisher
Costumes Designed by Tom Rogers
Wigs, Hair & Make-Up Designed by Sam Cox
Musical Direction by Cerys McKenna
Legally Blonde plays at Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre until Saturday 7 March, and then continues on its UK tour until 2 January 2027.
